Harnessing the Storm
by Ivy Winged Writer
Summary: Her family has sheilded her all her life: Her Uncle Briar, her Aunts Daja and Tris, and her adoptive mother, Sandry. The decision was made after the Long War: she'd never know magic unless necessary. It all went wrong. ::Spoilers: Will of the Empress::
1. Chapter 1

Elysivy's Point of View

There always was something dangerously beautiful about a storm. Not just rain, but with thunder and lightning.

As I wrote, my eyes begged for light as they strained to see. I pushed my spectacles closer to them, but it helped little. My eyes wanted the light; yet the light they could not bear because it seemed too artificial. It couldn't compare with the enchantment of the storm. Every so often a grand burst of near-sun brightness filled my writing room, illuminating all I wrote.

The skies shuddered at every daring caress of the lightning that swept the sky.

I was in my favorite room, high above the ground, in a tower nearest to the sky and equally breezy. I always went there when there was a raging storm outside: it's the closest point anywhere to the shifting rains and wind. My family knows to find me there, just as they know Nuncle Briar will be down in his first floor bedroom, tending to his _shakkan,_ and that Aunt Daja will be in her forge, pounding or pulling away at some metal. I watched the storm without a shaky heart from my vantage point high above the seas. If my family had seen me, they would have thought me crazy, for all the strange life we have led.

I knew the world ambient mages lived in is false and fictitious: my family had all told me so. Although they told lovely stories of four children and their teachers, each with a respective talent through magic, I knew it was false. Magics like that no longer exist, if they ever did.

I knew weather mages don't exist; except for in the grand tales Aunt Trisana spun of them, just like Mother spins her wool.

I knew I was not in Emelan, the place they spoke of as if they once were part of a city grand enough for mages, were they the stuff of legends or not. If a mage ever existed anywhere, they spoke of them there.

But when I ran a hand through my deep brown --almost a red, I liked to think-- hair, I felt otherwise.

The storm _made_ me feel otherwise.

Regardless of what was real.

I tried to harness the storm, just as the wonderful fairy tale Nuncle Briar told me of a girl, who he always suspected to look much like my favorite aunt, Tris. I replicated the tale quickly, as I knew it by heart.

I fell into my core, looking around for the magic that's supposed to link me to …whatever my gift was. I should have liked to try the weather. I looked for a link that tied me to the weather, finding bolts of lightning power and some odd vines, threads, and metal wires. I grabbed the lightning…the rest seemed inappropriate for my trials.

I drew it out, pulling it from the storm battering our little estate in the middle of nowhere. It felt odd; my body trembled delightfully under the sparks of lightning falling about my long, lazy hair, and dancing on my fingertips. Experimentally I put my hands together, watching the light-bits surge and whirl around my clasped hands.

A burst of thunder startled me, and light flooded the room. As the brightness outside died away, I noticed that light was still in my usually dark tower room.

With a shocked gasp, I looked up, my hands flying apart and clenching to hold the lightning as long as I could.

It was too late: I saw Aunt Tris standing in the door, her little glass dragon flitting about her head and alighting on her tangle of braids on her head.

"Well, my little magelet Elysivy…hold out your hands."

I did as I was bid, shyly bringing forth my hands, the sparks dying away to rejoin the storm, lingering the barest of instants.

But she had seen it.

And I knew, by the look in her eyes, this was something direly important or unimaginably shameful.


	2. Chapter 2

Trisana Chandler's Point of View

Hurriedly I sent a pulse of power down my connection with my foster-family.

_ Briar, Daja, Sandry…get up here _now!

I didn't say anything more, trusting them to follow the bond we shared to the tower. Instinctively I felt Sandry drop her spindle with a curse, ruining the deep green thread that reminded me of my foster-brother, Briar. He had been tending to his roses, but had muttered an apology and was on his way now. Daja was patiently attempting to convince her wire to stay wire while she was gone.

I turned my magical vision back to Sandry, who was now on the ground, fixing the mess her hurry had made.

_ Once a _clehame, _always a _clehame. Briar said, grinning through his tie to me, and I smiled wryly.

"Ely…what were you doin-" I began, but was rudely interrupted by the King of the Household himself: Briar Moss. He threw the door open, smiling when he saw the pair of us.

"Nuncle!" Joyfully, Ely bounded to him, wrapping her arms around him in a hug. He was lucky; even at fourteen she hadn't outgrown his nickname for her-Ivy, calling him Nuncle, or his hugs. A look to me as he twirled Ely above the ground brought memories of a better time, before the War, back to me, memories we had both closed out and hidden, for fear Sandry or Daja would find them. Or maybe for the fear that _we_ would find them too.

"Ivy, you weren't messing with Coppercurl's hair again, were you?" He joked, smirking. Had he been closer, it would have earned him a thorough smack on his 'oh so brilliant' head. I said as much through our bond, earning a satisfied grin from him.

The girl shook her head, laughing.

"No, but I caught lightning, just like in the story you told me of that lady mage, the one you said must look like Aunt Tris."

I paled, lightning anger sparking in my hair.

In mind-speak, I scolded him. _What in Mila's name possessed you, Briar? That took me so long to control, and look now! _

_ You never could control it around me. _

He taunted, but without his normally cheerful nature. He knew I was angry, and he knew I thought him particularly infuriating and impossible.

Fortunately, Sandry and Daja burst in at this instant, telling me silently not to hurt Briar.

Daja leaned casually against a wall, content to watch, and Sandry went _clehame_ on us, hands on her hips, demanding an answer from Ely.

"Mother...I just...caught the lightning. I didn't know there was any harm in it. I did what Nuncle Briar said mages did, but I didn't expect it to work….in my core, y'know?"

I nodded, as did the others. Briar had the most horrified expression on his face as he realized this child was far too curious and far too good at remembering details.

Soothingly, Sandry murmured to her adoptive daughter.

"What did you see in your core, love?"

"Well…" Suddenly, she took on a proud glow and began to rattle things off, much like a young child.

"I found the lightning. Lots of it. And some thread…and vines, which seemed to stray close-ish to the lightning…and not get burned, either. I found some metals, too. It confused me, so I only took the lightning."

We all exchanged looks.

_ Somehow, she has a bit of each of us._ Daja reasonably put in, and we all agreed, looking down at our palms. In each was a round, lumpy looking scar, from when we had broken the Namornese barriers so many years ago.

"Well, Ely. While they try and explain, I'm going to go pack." I stated. I had every intention of leaving to notify Niko. He needed to know.

"And I as well…I can't wait to leave this little estate!" Cheered Briar, earning a harsh look from Sandry.

"I like it here well enough, mate…but I want to go back to Winding Circle!"

"I'll go too." Daja said quietly, leaving Sandry to explain about everything, and the rest of us to pack.


	3. Chapter 3

Briar Moss's Point of View

The flowers I had tattooed on my hands were sprouting out new shoots of every flower imaginable, bursting with color. As I left, I heard Sandry sigh and sit Ely down for an…interesting talk, I decided. Glad that Coppercurls had gotten us out of this, I followed her to her room, on the other side of the floor we were on.

"Tris…Tris!" I called out, as soon as I was sure Daja was gone and Sandry and Ely were out of earshot.

The redhead didn't even turn to look at me. If she hadn't heard my voice, she would have known it was me. Our connection was unbearably strong, because she had taught me my letters among other reasons.

We were nearing her door, and I hastened my pace in order to catch up before she closed the door in my face. She matched my increase, and sighing, I picked up a sprint. She started to run, but slowed down after a few feet. I jogged to catch up, finally doing so at her door. Tris went in first, but charitably, she left the door open.

"Yes, Briar?" She asked, no hint of emotion in her voice. That was Tris- efficient and to the point as she began shuffling through her things for her traveling bags.

"Thanks for bailing us out of there…didn't want to explain that magic was real."

I should have known better: I had set myself up horribly for her explosion.

"Oh, you didn't want to explain that magic was real! You didn't want to ex- I can't believe you! Briar Moss, didn't want to explain magic, yet he took it upon himself to tell our little Elysivy all the stories of our adventures, and no less, exactly how to go about taking from the elements her power! You didn't want to explain magic existed, but yet you told her stories upon stories about me! You didn't want to explain, Briar, but yet, in your way, you've caused this! You didn't want to expl-"

I clapped my hand across her mouth, sorely wishing she'd stop and sorely wishing I hadn't completely ruined everything.

"Tris, I know I messed up. With Ely, with Sandry, with Daja, with you…but can we spare me the sermon? I know, I know, I know."

I could see the lightning in her hair dancing, and grinned.

"You never could control it around me." I restated.

"You're infuriating, annoying, slang-talking…" Her train of insults continued as she harshly tugged backwards, moving away from my hand.

"stupid, unendurable, agonizing, insufferable, unspeakably excruciating…."

I watched her grab her dresses from her wardrobe, and mentally thanked Sandry for putting all those stitch-witch charms on them.

"beyond repairable, frustrating, clueless, bleat-brained, heartbreaking…."

"What was that?" I asked quickly, thinking I had heard a hint of well…actual pain in her voice.

"distr-What was what?" Tris moved towards the doors I had closed, looking out. "Is something wrong with Ely?" I could tell she had dropped into her center, searching for signs of worry in the room down the hallways. She had that look on her face, concentrating and delighted at the same time. Her eyes clouded over with faint mist and her features slackened slightly, making her look easier and almost kind.

"No, nothing's wrong with Ely. But you said 'heartbreaking'. Me, heartbreaking?"

"Yes, you Briar…because if you don't remember, I do. And I won't force you to think of it, but I know what happened. It wasn't that long ago. You know it, I know it. The only thing that came between us was our fears and the barriers we clung to because of them. I'm not saying I could give it another chance…I don't know that I could, but Briar…don't even pretend you don't know. You do, you do."

For a moment, I was speechless, expecting her to go on. When she resumed bustling around the room, I knew I was dismissed. Without hesitance I shut my connection with Daja and Sandry, and strode to her. She looked at me, her gray eyes beholding me with a curious light: uncertainty, old memories…I grabbed her shoulders, and knew I ought to.

But I didn't. I merely looked at her eyes...her gray, compelling and lovely, yet harsh and straightforward, honest eyes.

It would have been easy, if I had been the Briar I was not so long ago. And I could have done it. But I knew Tris, and I knew me. I had changed. Not much, but enough to know that if I did anything, it would break her again.

I tore my eyes away and left her, standing with her blue dress in her hand.

_Note: I apologize for the length, it's rather short. My chapters will soon be up to a fairly regular length, unless you mind seeing multiple Points of View in one chapter. Also, if anyone's confused on what transpired between Tris and Briar, emails or review questions are fine. It's sorta a poke at the past, but I don't know if I plan to write a prequel to this or just flashbacks. You could...help me decide, you know. It's good to know people are reading this...even if it's not shown in the reviews (1, at this point). But I know I'm on lists and things, so I appreciate that. The next few chapters will contain one on Daja, and one of Sandry talking with Ely. Feedback is greatly appreciated!_


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